An employee of Wentworth, one of Britain’s most prestigious golf clubs, has escaped jail after she admitted stealing nearly £11,000 from its customers.

Most of the money was spent on providing a holiday for her terminally ill friend, who has since died. The remainder was effectively donated to hospices.

Patricia Glancy, a wedding planner at Wentworth Golf Club, convinced four couples to leave blank cheques, which she filled with her own details, as deposits for their big days at the club over a three-month period last year, and gave her account details when a fifth couple made a payment via a bank transfer. In total she cashed £10,787.50.

The money was mainly used to pay for a holiday to New York for her terminally ill friend, Thelma Harte, 65, who died last year. Glancy also bought goods in the Wentworth Golf Club shop, which were donated to two charities auctions for hospices.

Glancy resigned from the club just days before one of the brides contacted Wentworth about the wedding preparations – only to be told that she had not put down a deposit. The club immediately carried out an investigation and within two months Glancy went to police to confess her crimes.

Judge Peter Moss, sitting at Guildford Crown Court, sentenced Glancy to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He suggested that she avoided jail because of the good causes the money was spent on, and accepted that Glancy was of good character.

The court heard she had paid back all the stolen money and that the golf club had honoured the weddings of all couples that fell victim to the scam.

“Wentworth Golf Club picked up, as you would expect of a reputable organisation, the costs to fulfill their obligations that fell through because of your fraud. You risked damaging their reputation because of your actions,” said Judge Moss.

“You fully admitted this matter and I bear in mind you are 36 years of age and of good character.

“Your best friend was dying of cancer and you wanted to provide trips for her to New York and you had given donations to charity events for two particular hospices.

“I saw evidence you had been engaged in those charity events. It attracted, for you personally, a considerable amount of praise and admiration from family and friends. That may well have been the motivation for you.”

Glancy, who had previously lost her sister, uncle and grandmother to cancer, admitted five counts of fraud by false representation and was ordered to pay £350 costs.